As the UN Security Council prepares to issue a firm resolution on Libya, thousands of civilians are reportedly dead in clashes with armed forces within the country. As events evolve rapidly, accurate information from the United Nations and its partners about the situation on the ground remains scant. UNOSAT has received various requests for baseline mapping and analysis in connection with the current surge of humanitarian response preparedness.

In an effort to respond to these important needs, UNOSAT published already on Friday 25 February 2011 a detailed high resolution atlas of Benghazi city. This atlas provides baseline geographic information including place-names, identification of key buildings and roads using best available data from Google MapMaker.

The atlas has been produced by UNITAR/UNOSAT in support of international humanitarian assistance to the people of Libya. The atlas, which is published to respond to the needs of UN agencies and their partners, is intended to provide objective geographic information and has been designed for easy printing and readability on A3 and A4 paper. Map Atlas for Benghazi city, Libya can be downloaded from the UNOSAT section of the website.

Photo: Egyptian refugees fleeing violence in Libya line up to enter a bus at a refugee camp. Photo courtesy of REUTERS.